Press Release
A Patient Removed from Surgery Because
He Can’t Pay
We have received a
complaint from a patient that seemed incredible, even for us who see so many. Sadly it turned out to be all too true, and
confirmed by a social worker concerned.
Specifically, last week, a fifty-four year old unemployed and uninsured
citizen who had serous heart trouble and who required immediate care and
surgery was admitted to Evangelismos hospital.
The hospital initially
refused to admit him. The patient
declared he would produce a welfare health booklet when it was issued. Then, after the insistence of the patient’s
attending physician, the hospital agreed to proceed with the surgery as the
life of the patient was in danger.
The patient had been
prepared for surgery, stretched out on the table, intravenous tubes inserted
and shaved, when a person from the
accounting department rushed in and forced the doctors to stop because the
patient had not given them the welfare booklet.
It goes without saying
that the patient had already asked the services at the municipality to hasten
the issuance of the booklet, but what was he to do meanwhile? Was he to wait for bureaucracy to increase
its pace?
How could that accountant
even get in the operating theatre to stop a surgery, over the authority of the
surgeon, as a life was at stake?
Let the Greek Ministry
of Health tell us where we can ask for help since it is evident that patient’s
lives have now become nothing more than an accounting issue.
We expect answers from
the Ministry of Health on this unacceptable incident and require an IMMEDIATE
admission of the patient to hospital and the necessary medical procedures to be
carried out to treat him.
1st update - 14/05/2014
We were just informed
by the patient that he has been admitted to “Evangelismos” hospital by the
Director this morning and tomorrow he will go into surgery. We hope the directors of all public hospitals
will likewise show some sensitivity to all uninsured patients and not only when
the problems are publicized. Cases like
this one are not to be tolerated; this is not the role that the Greek Public
Health System should play in our lives.
Accounts and money cannot be more important than a human life, and even
more when it concerns three million uninsured citizens. Whoever endangers human life will have to
answer for it in a court – sooner or later
METROPOLITAN COMMUNITY CLINIC AT HELLINIKO
Working Hours
(MONDAY - FRIDAY 10:00 - 20:00) and (SATURDAY 10:00 - 14:00)
CONTACT PHONE NUMBER: +30 210 9631950
ADDRESS: Inside the old American Military Base, 200m away from the Traffic Police of the Municipality of Helleniko, next to the Cultural Center of Helleniko
Post code TK16777, Elliniko, Attiki, Greece
Blog http://mkie-foreign.blogspot.gr/ Email mkiellinikou@gmail.com
Working Hours
(MONDAY - FRIDAY 10:00 - 20:00) and (SATURDAY 10:00 - 14:00)
CONTACT PHONE NUMBER: +30 210 9631950
ADDRESS: Inside the old American Military Base, 200m away from the Traffic Police of the Municipality of Helleniko, next to the Cultural Center of Helleniko
Post code TK16777, Elliniko, Attiki, Greece
Blog http://mkie-foreign.blogspot.gr/ Email mkiellinikou@gmail.com
